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Are folks any closer to finding out if the Winnipeg Jets are making significant strides under Paul Maurice?

It says here they most certainly are.

When the Jets hit the road last Monday riding a three-game winning streak, the trip to California to face a couple of Western Conference powerhouses was supposed to provide some answers.

While it's tough to make many bold proclamations about a five-game stretch, at the same time it would be foolish to ignore the fact the Jets actually earned a split against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks while allowing a grand total of three goals.

Anybody really see that coming?

Didn't think so.

Of course, the Jets needed 40 stops from Ondrej Pavelec and another 36 blocked shots as they found a way to hang on for a 3-2 win over the Ducks.

But two weeks ago, the Jets not only would have found a way to lose that game, they probably would have done so in regulation.

Two nights later, they held the Sharks -- who average more than three goals per game -- to just one and the Jets weren't under siege nearly as often as they were against the Ducks.

"We had a good road trip," said Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian. "Right now, the guys seem to be in the right areas at the right times. There's no grey areas for us. Early on in the year, we were scrambling a little bit. But right now, our best zone is the D-zone and just taking care of that. We've just got to make sure we're getting better every game."

Maurice was asked if he felt his team was better returning home than the one that got on the plane to California on Monday?

"The last two teams we played had a completely different offensive capability than the first three and I still liked a lot of what I saw defensively. They didn't break us," said Maurice. "We gave up one on a turnover (against the Sharks), where they knocked it out of the air and in. Anaheim clearly had more chances five-on-five, but I understood our defensive game. It was what we are trying to do. In that case, we've now handled one team and won. I'm not sure we handled (the Ducks). And we did it right here. That has to stay and our offence has to improve -- and it will."

The marked improvement in the defensive zone was the first priority for Maurice upon his arrival and that's certainly trending in the right direction.

"The question is, did we generate our offence in the past because we cheated all over the ice and that's why we were 25 (in goals against). Or can we stay at that offensive output and become a better defensive team? I believe we can," said Maurice. "We're certainly not pulling them back. We're going to look at getting more aggressive on our forecheck. That's not there yet. We want defence first and then we'll branch out."

There are 30 games left for the Jets to branch out.

"We've been playing extremely well as a team," said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. "It's not time to sit back and pat ourselves on the back. We've been playing good, but this loss should piss you off a little bit. We've got to get back on the horse and get back to winning games again."

As fascinating as it has been to see this recent transformation, the Jets next test is to see how they'll respond to their first loss under Maurice.

"It's up to us in this room. No one else can impact that too much," said Jets rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba. "We know to kind of stay up after (Thursday's 1-0) game. That wasn't a bad game by any means. We're trying to stay positive about that one and just keep playing the way we are."

As Advertised in the Winnipeg SUN

Maurice has Jets on right road

Are folks any closer to finding out if the Winnipeg Jets are making significant strides under Paul Maurice?

It says here they most certainly are.

When the Jets hit the road last Monday riding a three-game winning streak, the trip to California to face a couple of Western Conference powerhouses was supposed to provide some answers.

While it's tough to make many bold proclamations about a five-game stretch, at the same time it would be foolish to ignore the fact the Jets actually earned a split against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks while allowing a grand total of three goals.

Anybody really see that coming?

Didn't think so.

Of course, the Jets needed 40 stops from Ondrej Pavelec and another 36 blocked shots as they found a way to hang on for a 3-2 win over the Ducks.

But two weeks ago, the Jets not only would have found a way to lose that game, they probably would have done so in regulation.